If you only knew what I know.......

Description:
I know, you know, that I’m not telling the truth you just don’t have any proof. Reading that initially might arise the question of what is it that I know that you don’t, well for that case I can’t tell you or I might lose my true identity. Ok enough with those antics, the truth is the first sentence I wrote is a few lyrics from theme song of the show Psych. I don’t tend to follow many shows on TV, I only tend to watch Pro wrestling and Sportscenter, however since WWE Monday Night Raw is on the USA Network(NBC Universal), I was turned onto a this show.
Psych is a fresh new twist on a cable series. Shawn Spencer who is played by actor James Roday takes what he was taught as a young lad from his father a retired cop from the Santa Barbara police department about the finer details of a crime investigation. Though Henry his dad doesn’t want Shawn to become an office , Shawn uses the gift he has and doesn’t become a police officer he is named lead “psychic”

In the pilot episode when viewers such as myself were first exposed to his “gift” the show started out as a flashback to he and his father at a diner and Shawn would like a piece of cake, in order to prove himself his dad makes him close his eyes and recall all the hats in the room. He asks for some clarification such as does a beanie count as a hat and so forth. After not only naming off how many hats there were he also gave details about what was on each hat

Though Shawn feels he got them all it’s always his dad he finds some way to scrutinize him. It is then they fast forward to the present time and Shawn is on a date he comes to notice some news about a burglary and uses his photographic memory of what he observed the police department and reports all that he noticed and is brought into the police not to claim a reward but as a lead suspect. While they are ready to arrest him for having known everything about the situation, he comes out that he’s psychic. Still finding it hard to believe he starts to have “visions” and wows everyone in the department. Once observed by the then interim Chief police Karen Vick she assigns him his first case much to the satisfaction to everyone on staff except for head detective Carlton Lassiter. Throughout the series Shawn is always finding ways to get on Lassiter’s cases and solving them before Lassiter can in his very unconventional ways. A lot of the humor that takes place in the show is the interaction between Shawn and Lassiter since their personalities clash so well.

After being assigned his first case Shawn enlists his best friend as his assistant. Burton Guster better known as Gus is the totally opposite of Shawn, where Shawn tends to be messy, unorganized and unemployed when he doesn’t have a case. Whereas Gus is a clean cut sharply dressed pharmaceutical salesman. When Shawn feels he’s on the brink of greatness of how to utilize his talent for detective work, he pitches the idea to Gus to open their own private detective agency for side jobs in addition from the cases he gets from the police. Gus is never is too fond of Shawn’s ideas claiming he has a real job and knows it’s a federal offense to lie like Shawn is. Just as Lassiter and Shawn clash, so do does Shawn and Gus they are a winning team, as reluctant as Gus is to aid Shawn in the cases the rewards are worth the stress he is put under.

One more character I need to mention before I end this blog is detective Lassiter's assistant Juliet O'Hara. Shes a blonde bombshell and she carries a gun (how hot is that?), anyways I digress, but Juliet better known to serious viewers as Jules is a great character to put in the mix she is always so impressed by Shawns gift during their cases. Throughout the series thus far Shawn has grown a crush on her and because they're co-workers they cannot cross that line, but that stop the producers and writers to tease avid fans such as myself of possible connections with them. She much like Shawn is very free spirited, but when it comes time for a case shes all business(man I wish I could have a girl like that....)

With twists, turns, screams,fake psychic visions even some romance mixed in with detective investigation and whole lot comedy psych delivers a great new way to view crime based shows. Even though the cases they work with tend to be very serious, Shawn can always find a way to tie in one liners with references to movies, other TV shows and overly exaggerated actions from Shawn with his noble assistant Gus it makes it a classic can’t miss show.

Analysis:
I personally love this show, as I mentioned before I try to stay away from all the reality show garbage and shows like the hills, but this show gets to me. As shows like the hills have drama some people can feel that emotion, in this show I can feel a sense of myself within it. As an inspiring actor myself this show has really opened my personality more than it already was and I too sometimes look deeper into situations and play as if I were Shawn. I know that sounds crazy, but its fun to over exaggerate a little bit. I personally own both seasons that are out on DVD and haven’t missed an episode. Every aspect of the show just clicks there is just something about it that keeps me watching.

One of the many patterns that can easily be identified on this show is the connection from the beginning of the episode to the ending of it. I may be wrong, but all but one episode begin with a flashback mainly of times where Shawn was younger and some things that took place that have an impact in the present time of the episode. The flashback usually relates to the crime that is being committed in the present time of the episode or something Shawn recalls to further adapt his “visions”.

Another pattern that is very comical between Shawn and mainly Gus, but a few of the other characters as well is his references to movies, one hit wonders and current things going on in the entertainment world. In one of the most recent episodes Gus, Shawn and his father get into some trouble so they are brought in to the interrogation for questioning and Shawn asks if he can have a phone call and Lassiter says no and Shawn replies how about a text message all I want to say is OMG LOL which to todays generation is pretty funny. In addition to that Shawn also gets in argument with his dad and Shawn exclaims is it because he has more friends on facebook.

One truly interesting pattern is the shows adaption of using Pineapple in every episode. In the pilot episode Shawn is in Gus’s apartment and before he leaves he grabs one out of the fridge and the rest is history. There’s a feature on the second season DVD set that shows incorporates all the pineapple discussion or the fruit is actually shown. A new twist to this season (3) the producer has hidden the pineapple in each episode and turned into a sweepstakes to those who supply to their mobile text messages (which I do) and you must identify where it was its great fan interaction.

Truly a great show, Steve Franks the creator does a great job evolving the characters and their interactions with the whole cast throughout the episodes, not to mention if you don’t get enough laughs from the entire episode before the credits roll they have a “Psych-out” at the conclusion which is either ridiculous renditions of the cast singing songs or outtakes of lines in the episode and are always a joy to watch. Heres a taste of some of their wild antics:

Well now you know what I know and the only way if you’ll know if I’m telling the truth is if you watch Psych for yourself!
Psych usually airs Friday nights on the USA Network @ 9:00 before House and after Monk, they are currently done airing the first half of the third season right now, but the second half returns in January

You ARE the father.....The Maury Show

Description:

 

Originally called The Maury Povich Show, The Maury Show (also just called Maury) is an outrageous American daytime television show that first went on the air in 1991. The host is Maury Povich who has a degree in television journalism. In 1998 the show was remodeled and put into syndication by Studios USA, now called NBC Universal.  It is taped in New York and averages almost 4 million viewers per episode.

 

Maury is well known for paternity tests sometimes the same woman comes back two, three, four, or even five times!  The woman is determined to find the father of her baby.  The show deals with other topics such as sexual infidelity, controlling spouses, illnesses, phobias, makeovers, and out of control teens.  Also during the season, outside hosts of other television shows, such as Cheaters, join Maury on stage and shows the audience clips from their shows. Usually the clips show stupid criminals, kids doing dangerous stunts, or cheaters caught literally with their pants down.

 

For the sake of the blog, I will explain the format of the show for paternity tests. It starts with Maury announcing the day’s topic, then a series of clips get shown that give us a preview of the guests that will be shown that day and intense moments that will happen throughout the show.  At the end of the clips a tagline appears that usually reads something like, “I had sex with 2 brothers……..which ones by baby’s daddy?” or, “25 guys…….where is my baby’s father?” appears at the bottom of the screen.  The first guest, usually a female, is introduced to the audience onstage.  The opposing side, usually a male, and sometimes with his mother or current girlfriend, wait backstage. After the guest on stage tells their side of the story, the guest(s) backstage come out, and the audience boos them.

 

Once the audience and the guests onstage calm down, Maury asks the opposing side for their side of the story. While they are trying to tell the story, the opposite side butts in and starts yelling, as well as the audience.  When this is occurring the viewers and audience learn bits and pieces of information about the couple’s relationship in the past. A lot of the time Maury has to step in and calm everyone down.  After a couple minutes of hashing it out, Maury stops the fighting and grabs the results.  Before the results are read the opposing side has to promise to take responsibility if the child turns out to be theirs.  The results are then read, and then there is a lot more yelling at each other and/or crying.  After a short commercial break, a new character is introduced and the process starts over again.

 

Analysis:

 

The Maury Show is one of those daytime shows that you either love or hate.  Usually people who say they watch it get questioned about why they would watch something that is so out of there and stupid.  I believe that people watch it for pure entertainment. When you watch some topics and issues that are brought to this show, you just have to sit back and laugh.  Especially during a phobia show when there is a 300 pound man running around the set because someone brought a peach on stage.  Or a woman is getting her twenty fifth guy tested to find the fathers of her 4 kids.  Another reason why people watch a show like this is so they can feel better about their own life.  You can turn on the television and realize that your life is pretty normal compared to the characters that we are introduced to.  The viewing audience is generally stay at home moms in their late teens and twenties.

 

However, during the years there has been some criticism over the show.  The main point of critics is that the show portrays insincere sympathy to its various guests, using their problems for pure entertainment and to make money. Another point made is that the majority of guests that appear on The Maury Show are African American or another minority group.  People say that the show is bias and purposely chooses those minority groups.  Many critics compare it to The Jerry Springer Show and even claim that it is even worse then that.  There are many people that just choose not to watch it and believe that it is an embarrassment to be a nation that creates and produces shows of this nature.

 

Despite all the criticism, The Maury Show has had an enormous effect in popular culture.  Jokes are constantly being made about the show and its content. Music artist Lil’ Jon and BME Click created a song called Dat Baby.  The song has an opening hook that declares “That baby don’t look like me”, and the lyrics have phrases that are continually said on the show.  The television show South Park also has an episode when the boys go on The Maury Show as part of a scheme to get prizes from the show.  No matter what you think of the show, it is an entertaining experience and if you have not had the chance you should definitely check it out.  It is not going anywhere because just recently the show’s contract was renewed through the 2010 season.

Classic Maury Show Moment

Out of Control Teen

Pickle Phobia